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CNET Editors' Rating

The GoodPacks in just about every feature the keen amateur could want in a dSLR; robust build quality; swivel-and-tilt LCD screen aids low- and high-angle shooting; can record 1080p video.

The BadExpensive; bulky and weighty.

The Bottom LineThe Canon EOS 60D is a pumped-up powerhouse of a digital SLR. It's crammed full of class-leading but consumer-friendly features that could make it the only camera an amateur photography enthusiast will ever need.

8.8 Overall

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In Canon's digital SLR range, the EOS 60D sits between the just-above-entry-level EOS 550D and the serious EOS 7D. The 60D has some of the 550D's user-friendliness, while also offering some of the 7D's high-end technology, including its advanced metering system.

The 60D, which replaces the popular EOS 50D, doesn't come cheap. You'll pay around £900 for the body only. Canon supplied our 60D with a bright and stunningly sharp 17-55mm kit lens -- a package that will set you back around £1,800.

Big and fast

At the 60D's heart beats an 18-megapixel, APS-C sized CMOS sensor, offering a magnification factor of 1.6x, no matter which lens is attached. Canon's standard-issue Digic 4 processor affords a burst speed of 5.3 frames per second. That's hardly class-leading but it's still respectable for a consumer model, as is the nine-point autofocus system.

The 60D weighs a reassuringly hefty 755g, including its rechargeable battery and an SD, SDHC or SDXC card, inserted via a slot on the camera's side. The 60D may be bulky but it feels like a piece of kit that will do the job, will last, and will repay your not inconsiderable investment.

The 60D's nine-point autofocus system offers an extra-sensitive centre point for lenses faster than f/2.8, allowing for a shallow depth of field for more atmospheric shooting. This test shot shows bold, natural colours and great definition, as expected (click image to enlarge).

The 60D will make you look every inch the serious photographer. It's definitely not a camera for surreptitious shooting, thanks, in part, to the satisfyingly loud 'clunk' that's heard every time the shutter fires.

Rapid-response unit

The camera's response times are blink-of-an-eye quick. Flick the power switch and you can be up and shooting as quickly as you can bring your eye to the optical viewfinder and your forefinger to the shutter-release button. It's very satisfying. With the camera in autofocus mode, focus and exposure are likewise determined in an instant.

The shutter-release button is situated atop a large, well-moulded handgrip, around which you can comfortably wrap three fat fingers. The other controls, including the normal array of command dials, a scroll wheel and sundry dedicated function buttons, fall within reach of your right hand's forefinger or thumb. Consequently, operation feels fluid and natural.

The optical viewfinder is large and reasonably bright, so we didn't find ourselves constantly squinting. A large LCD display on the top of the camera allows you to make key adjustments on the fly, such as altering the drive mode, metering and ISO speed. This saves you having to drill down into the menu system proper. Adjusting each setting merely requires a button press and a twist of a scroll wheel on the back of the camera.

The 60D's flip-out, rotating screen is a first for the EOS family, and a very welcome addition it is too.

The standard light-sensitivity range of ISO 100 to ISO 6,400 is expandable up to an ISO 12,800 equivalent for situations where light is low but use of a flash is undesirable. Most mid-range dSLRs now offer similar 'see in the dark' abilities. Similarly, the 60D offers the ability to shoot a JPEG file on its own, or capture both a JPEG file and an optimum-quality raw shot at the same time.